The Secrets We Keep
by AmericusyoungXoXo
Summary: The Southside Serpents have been known for their ruthlessness and tough exteriors since the dawn of time. As Jughead finally joins the Serpents and begins to learn more about them, he meets a member with more secrets than Riverdale is ready for.
1. Prologue

"Are you ready to meet the rest?" Toni searched Jughead's face for an answer, her eyes scanning over his most recent wounds, obtained from the "brutal stage" of his initiation. He cocked an eyebrow, sucking a lip in, though slowly sighing and nodding.

"Sure," he shrugged, standing up, "what's the worst thing that could happen at this point?"

Toni grinned, bounding towards the door and leading him in.

The noise roared out from the Whyte Wyrm, drinks clacking, people shouting, pool balls clicking. Jughead flinched as they entered, a headache forming.

The serpents turned as they entered, some smirking and others nodding in regard to Jughead's new status as a full-fledged member. He kept his head down for the most part, only nodding when directly addressed and following the heels of Toni's boots. He knew she was still talking, but the sounds from the bar were nearly too much for him to handle; he was already regretting coming.

"And finally, our baby," Toni's coo broke him from his trance, his dark eyes darting upwards to her face, "Little Miss Noelle Neiman." Her eyes were focused on something in front of her, a soft glow casting out towards the name in question.

He snapped back to himself, the roar of the bar seeming to come back to life as he finally took in his surroundings. His eyes moved from Toni to the small girl seated before her, and it seemed as if everything stood still.

He wondered how a being so delicate could be a part of something like the serpents.

Light blue eyes stared out at him from beneath thick and dark lashes. Her cheekbones jutted out sharply, her nose tilted up gently, and her very presence nearly knocked him down. Or maybe it was the headache, he tried to convince himself. But the more of her that he drank in, the more he knew it wasn't just the headache.

"Welcome to the serpents," she paused, her voice like window-chimes, "what was it, again?" A thin eyebrow quirked upwards.

"Jughead," he coughed out, regaining his composure as the sound of the bar flooded back into his ears.

"Jughead, yes," she gleamed, the corners of her slips sliding outwards and tilting up, "welcome."

"Thanks, uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "it's nice to meet you."

Toni rolled her eyes, wrapping an arm around Noelle's shoulders, "that's what she wants you to think," she smiled slyly, a twinkle in her eye. Noelle shoved at her, giggling. "Noee here wants you to think that it's nice to meet her. And it is," she teased, "for a while. She's a gem, but only until she's not." She winked.

"Oh, stop it," Noelle giggled, shoving Toni once again.

She stood up and tossed her short curls behind her shoulders. He couldn't exactly figure out what color her hair was- it wasn't exactly blonde, but it wasn't red either. It was somewhere in between, and he liked it.

"Well," she purred, "I've had enough for tonight. I'm tired."

She let out a yawn, running her dainty fingertips through a ringlet and breaking it apart. "Sweet Pea," she called, her eyes scanning the room before landing on him. They met eyes.

"Yes, doll?" He sauntered towards her, a teasing grin gracing his lips.

She rolled her eyes, sighing for a moment before she smiled.

"Bring me home?"

"Of course."

They began towards the door, and Jughead couldn't ignore the strange knot that formed in his stomach. The words that flew from his lips shocked him, even.

"I could bring you home."

Noelle paused. She turned around slowly and cocked an eyebrow. Her lips pursed themselves.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

Sweet Pea turned back and gave Jughead a look that he couldn't quite explain.

His head slowly shook. "Don't go there."

Jughead looked to Toni with curious eyes, and she sucked in her lips in return.

"What was that about?"

Toni avoided eye-contact, beginning towards the pool table. He followed her closely.

"Hey," he touched her elbow, "what- why did Sweet Pea say that, why can't I-"

"Listen, Jones." Toni turned around, leaning against the pool table as her eyes burned holes into his. "Noelle's cute, we all know that." She shrugged, "But she's got some shit behind her that isn't half as pretty as she is. You don't want in."

He was taken back for a moment.

"But Sweet Pea's got the in?"

Toni rolled her eyes and shook her head. She chuckled bitterly, "They've been neighbors since she," she paused for a moment, her teeth pinching a corner of her bottom lip, "since she was brought to the Southside."


	2. The Bust

**I want to thank everyone who favorited, followed, & especially reviewed! This is my first Riverdale fanfic, but I'm pretty optimistic about what I have in store for you all! I apologize for the short chapters; they'll start getting longer as we get deeper into the storyline. **

**Thank you, again!**

* * *

Jughead couldn't shake Toni's cryptic words, and he knew that she had chosen them wisely. It was as if she was taunting him with the truth behind Noelle's story. Since she was _brought_ to the Southside? As in, she hadn't always been there? It was uncommon for someone outside of the Southside to come in and become a serpent, but there had to be more to it than just that if everyone was being so secretive about it.

Not only did he not understand the riddle that seemed to be dancing within his brain, but he also couldn't understand why he had never seen Noelle at Southside High School until the following day.

Somehow, though, her tiny figure was hard to miss as she sauntered down the hall. The heels of her boots clicked off of the floor, her black nylons hugged her small legs, her leather skirt swished back and forth ever-so-slightly, and the serpent on the back of her leather jacket sneered back at Jughead as he watched her go. Out from a tiny scrunchie atop her head flowed a small selection of her curls, and even they danced at the opportunity of being so close to her.

"Noelle, hey, wait up!" He clutched his books against his chest and hurried up his pace, only slowing once he neared her.

She looked up at him and grinned, her eyes quickly moving back towards the hallway in front of them, "Good morning, Jughead. Feel any different now that you're one of us?"

He chuckled, shaking his head lightly, "Not really, but I'm definitely sorer than I've ever been."

Noelle giggled, a delicate hand coming to her lips. "Sweet Pea said that he might've gone a little hard on you in the brutal stage."

"Yeah, you could say that."

A door behind them blew open, and in flew Archie Andrews. His eyes ablaze, he latched onto Jughead's arm, pulling him towards him. Noelle's eyes widened in shock, and she subconsciously took a step backwards.

"We gotta go- right now." He cried, beginning to pull him harder.

"What the hell are you doing here? Betty ask you to throw some salt in the wound?"

"Mayor McCoy is about to raid Southside High right now, we gotta get you out of here, now common." He pulled on the collar of Jughead's jacket, now having had entirely convinced him to move.

Archie's eyes flashed to Noelle for a split second, and in that very second, he grabbed her tiny wrist and pulled her along with them.

She didn't resist.

And one moment later, when the double doors at the end of the hallway flew open and police began grabbing serpents, she thanked herself for having once in her life been compliant.

The three sprinted through the backyard of Southside High, and only when they were well within the tree line, did they stop.

"You wanna tell me what the hell that was about?" Jughead puffed out, his eyes flittering back and forth between the high school in the distance and Archie right in front of him.

Archie inhaled sharply, straightening his spine and running his hands through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he found the small girl glaring at him.

"Listen, I knew Mayor McCoy was coming, and I needed you get you-" his eyes flashed to her briefly, "you _two_ out of there."

"So you just decided to let the others get taken away?"

She finally spoke, her sharp tone rattling both of them as Archie turned to face her.

"If that's what it takes to get them to stop dealing jingle jangle, then yeah, I guess so."

Rage filled her light eyes, and her tiny body took an intimidating step forward, "Excuse me? We don't deal that stuff, are you crazy?"

"The ghoulies do!" Jughead cut in.

"So tell Mayor McCoy that!"

"Mayor McCoy?" Jughead's eyes flashed dark, Noelle having already turned away and seated herself on a log nearby.

"Mayor McCoy, as in the woman who just arrested all of our innocent friends? Who hates my dad for what he did? That Mayor McCoy?"

"Listen, Jug," Archie sighed, "I needed to get you out, and I did." He shrugged, his eyes roaming back to the small serpent on the log. He approached her slowly.

"I'm Archie Andrews."

She looked up to him, squinted little eyes shooting out daggers like he had never seen before. She shut them, inhaled deeply, and when she re-opened them, every trace of hostility was gone, and he was suddenly staring into crystal-clear seas of blue.

"Noelle Neiman. It's a pleasure to meet a friend of Jughead's, and I suppose I owe you my gratitude for bringing me along."

He nodded and grinned, "It's no problem. My truck is parked out front," he turned to include Jughead once more, "I can bring you both home so you can let things cool down."

Noelle was on her feet in an instant, her eyes scanning the area and seeming to calculate something in her head.

"No!" She regained her composure, "No, no," she chuckled, "that won't be necessary. I can walk." She grabbed her bookbag, "Thank you, though."

And in an instant, she was scurrying towards the street.

Archie and Jughead shared a glance, eyebrows raised.

"What's that ab-" Archie began.

"I don't know yet." Jughead shook his head, "But we're going to find out."


End file.
